FAQs for prospective participants
What is the purpose of this research?
The study aims to understand what meditators experience over time with continued practice. This will inform future meditators what range of experiences to expect at each step of their practice and will improve meditation training and support.
We also want to find out how meditation practice impacts people’s quality of life, how much it costs, and how it influences other dimensions of health and healthcare. This will provide valuable information to policy makers.
How long will the entire study take?
We will track the lives of people who have completed initial meditation instruction, intend to continue practising, and are located in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States of America over a 2-year period.
Full study participation will take approximately 8.3 hours over two years.
What will I be asked to do?
Should you agree to participate, you will be invited to complete online surveys and weekly voice diaries in the study’s app, Fabla. You will be asked to complete:
- Three 30–40-minute online surveys with questions on meditation history, health and wellbeing, and sociodemographics at the beginning of the study, after 1 year, and after 2 years.
- Weekly brief voice diaries and a few short questions about the amount you practised in the last week in the Fabla app.
- Monthly approximately 15-minute surveys asking about your meditation practice and experiences in the past month in the Fabla app.
Even if you stop meditating, your responses are invaluable to us, and we encourage you to continue completing the surveys and voice diaries.
What are the “voice diaries”?
They are short voice messages that you will be recording weekly on our study app, Fabla. You can think of it as if you were sharing about your week to your friends. You don’t have to worry about pauses or having the right thing to say at all! Also, your voice diaries will be available on your phone for you to look back on, just like traditional diaries!
How will my recorded voice diaries be managed?
Your privacy matters to us. Your recorded voice diaries will be available on your phone for your ease of access and will be stored on secure, encrypted servers, to which only the research team will have access. No identifying information will be published or available to other participants or to anyone outside the research team.
What are the possible benefits for me?
As a participant, you will receive:
- Monthly personalised practice tracking feedback
- Access to free meditation timer in our study’s app, Fabla
- A unique opportunity to reflect and keep a practice diary without having to type a single line
- An invitation to join our community and interact with fellow participants
- Access to exclusive practice resources
- Gift cards for your country
- The option to donate your compensation to charity
I intend to practise meditation regularly, but what if I stop meditating in the future?
That’s totally fine! We are interested in your journey and experiences regardless of whether you continue practising in the future. Please continue to share your experiences with us. Your insights could shape our understanding of meditation’s impact and help others in the future.
What if I miss a survey? Am I still in the study?
Yes, you are part of our study even if you miss one or more surveys. We understand that life can be hectic sometimes! However, we encourage you to complete as many surveys and voice diaries as you can. Your responses are invaluable to us and will help shape the understanding of meditation's impact on well-being and personal growth.
How do I join the study?
If you’re interested, please complete the Expression of Interest form.
This is a short survey to determine your eligibility for the study. The information you provide in this form will be retained for research and contact purposes. Your responses will be kept confidential in accordance with University of Melbourne privacy standards.
If you are eligible, you will be contacted and invited to participate in the study within a few days of completing the survey.
It has been more than few days, and I haven’t received any emails after completing the Expression of Interest. What do I do?
The email may end up in your spam folder, so please be sure to check your spam folder. If you haven’t received any emails, please contact the research team at tracking-meditation@unimelb.edu.au.
Where can I get further information?
If you would like more information about the project, please contact our research team at tracking-meditation@unimelb.edu.au. You can also contact Julieta Galante (responsible researcher; email: julieta.galante@unimelb.edu.au), or Dr Lillian Ward (researcher; Email: lillian.ward@unimelb.edu.au).